The folks at Wild West Magazine put out a special edition called 10 Greatest Gunfighters, and, as a historian of the American West, I had to pick the thing up. It lists the famous gunmen and includes a biography of each one. I didn’t read them in great detail because I already know the stories and the articles seemed to rehash the same old mixture of myth and reality.
Because it is difficult to separate myth from reality, I will not recount the lives of these men here. Instead, here is the list of who they consider to be the ten greatest gunslingers with a few facts about them included. I hope that you will use this as a base to explore the depth of their lives.
Wild Bill Hickok
Real Name: James Butler Hickok
Birth: May 27, 1837 in Homer, Illinois
Death: August 2, 1876 Deadwood, Dakota Territory
Death Fact: Hickok was shot while playing poker and, according to legend, was holding Ace’s and 8’s. Those cards are now known as Dead Man’s Hand.
Bat Masterson
Real Name: William Barclay Masterson
Birth: November 26, 1853 in Henryville, Canada East
Death: October 25, 1921 in New York City
Death Fact: Masterson became a sports writer and died after writing a column.
Billy the Kid
Real Name: William Henry McCarty, Jr.
Birth: Unknown – many believe he was born in New York City in 1859.
Death: July 14, 1881 in Fort Sumner, New Mexico
Death Fact: The Kid was shot by Pat Garrett, sheriff of Lincoln County, but many people believe that it really didn’t happen.
Johnny Ringo
Real Name: John Peters Ringo
Birth: May 3, 1850 in Greensfork, Indiana
Death: July 14, 1882 in Turkey Creek Canyon, Arizona
Death Fact: Ringo was found under a tree with a bullet hole in his temple.
Bill Longley
Real Name: William Preston Longley
Birth: October 6, 1851 in Mill Creek, Texas
Death: October 11, 1878 in Giddings, Texas
Death Facts: Longley claimed to have killed 32 people and was executed by hanging.
Jesse James
Real Name: Jesse Woodson James
Birth: September 5, 1847 in Clay County, Missouri
Death: April 3, 1882 in Saint Joseph, Missouri
Death Fact: James was shot by Bob Ford while dusting a picture hanging on the wall.
Pat Garrett
Real Name: Patrick Floyd Garrett
Birth: June 5, 1850 in Cusseta, Alabama
Death: February 29, 1908 near Las Cruces, New Mexico
Death Fact: Garrett was killed over an argument about goats.
Clay Allison
Real Name: Robert Clay Allison
Birth: September 2, 1840 in Clifton, Tennessee
Death: July 3, 1887 on his ranch near Pecos, Texas
Death Fact: Allison fell off a wagon and suffered a broken neck when a wheel rolled over him.
Doc Holliday
Real Name: John Henry Holliday
Birth: August 14, 1851 in Griffin, Georgia
Death: November 8, 1887 in Glenwood Springs, Colorado
Death Facts: Holliday died of tuberculosis at the Hotel Glenwood.
Kid Curry
Real Name: Harvey Alexander Logan
Birth: 1867 in Richland Township, Iowa
Death: June 1904 near Parachute, Colorado
Death Fact: Logan shot himself rather than being captured by a posse.
SBI: A Thinning Crowd 
With the exception of the “lawmen”, it’s striking how young they were. I had no idea that Bill Hickok was 39 when he died. I knew Doc Holliday was young and that he died from TB, but 36? I had no idea. These guys lived lifetimes in their few years, though, didn’t they?
They definitely lived eventful lives. It was a rough way to live, though. Violent and mundane at the same time.
That’s a really interesting list—there are a few I hadn’t heard of, but my knowledge of the West isn’t nearly as extensive as yours.
Some are more famous than others. I’m not sure I would call them all gunfighters, but they were definitely tough characters.
As a historian of the Upper Midwest especially on the James family,, Jesse James was not murdered April 30 1882 he went on to live long and prosper life and died in 1946. The folks in Northfield Minnesota actually invited him to be the grand marshal of their parade but he was in poor health at the time.
Thanks for your comment. I remember scientists presenting a DNA analysis several years ago concerning this issue. I can’t remember if it was conclusive.
Like Billy the Kid, the death of Jesse James has been shrouded in mystery. Through the years, many people have theorized that they lived into old age. The same has happened to John Wilkes Booth.
Did those men die when the records shows they did? We may never know for sure. Without solid proof, I must stick to the recorded date. It’s not the day they died that is important. It is the lives they led.
Correct that,,, it was April third
Jesse James shot while dusting?! I knew housework was dangerous….
No joke. Some people believe his death was faked. I think if his life had gone from being a famous outlaw to dusting the house that he may have wanted to die.
But where’s Wyatt Earp? My man Wyatt! I’m so upset at this historic slight! I’m going to need to watch Tombstone again (we know Hollywood movies are always historically accurate, don’t we) to aid my recovery!
Ha. I went to a historians conference in Tucson, and they took turns disparaging Wyatt’s legacy.
I don’t care. I love him. He’s my guy.